Mighty Crusaders Line up?

[FLOOD1976]

Who do you think will be a part of the Mighty Crusaders team? And how would you feel if a member of the team was from the DC universe was a part of it , eg Superman or Batman

[Rik]

Superman or Batman would bring readers. Interestingly, the rumor was that the Shield would be joining the JSA. With JSA All-Star writer Matthew Sturges joining the Red Circle team as writer on the Web that may even be more probable. So if the Shield joined the JSA, maybe not Superman or Batman but "B-List" DCU heroes could join the Mighty Crusaders. Batgirl???, Magog???, Green Arrow??? Black Canary??? They all already guest-stared in the Red Circle comics.

[leonmallett]

Superman or Batman would bring readers. Interestingly, the rumor was that the Shield would be joining the JSA. With JSA All-Star writer Matthew Sturges joining the Red Circle team as writer on the Web that may even be more probable. So if the Shield joined the JSA, maybe not Superman or Batman but "B-List" DCU heroes could join the Mighty Crusaders. Batgirl???, Magog???, Green Arrow??? Black Canary??? They all already guest-stared in the Red Circle comics.

Re: the Shield in JSA, unfortunately (or fortunately depending on personal perspective), Matt Sturges has played down the notion:

7. I am sure I read a rumour of the Shield (or maybe another Red Circle character) popping up in JSA. Now this may have ultimately related to the guest star that Shield has seen in his own title of course, but I was wondering if there are any Red Circle plans within the JSA books?

7. Not at present, though since I'm writing both the Web and All-Stars, I suppose there's certainly a possibility of such a thing.

Given also that on ComicBloc Matt Sturges, Eric Trautmann and Brandon Jerwa have alluded to some plans they have been meeting to discuss, then if that relates to the Mighty Crusaders, I wonder if they are planning to keep the line-up pretty Red Circle-centric.

As for the other suggestions:
- Batgirl (or Oracle): I can't see any Bat-family branching out until Bruce Wayne returns.
- Magog is possible, since there are hints that he may be leaving JSA, but I think that those hints a red herrings, but we will see.
- Green Arrow and Black Canary: they have a big 'mini event' coming up, and it looks like GA may become some kind of fugitive, so it seems unlikely.

I have mixed feelings about the inclusion of established DCU characters in a possible Mighty Crusaders book. It could draw new fans to the titles, but then I like the notion of the DC-Red Circle heroes being given a chance on their own merits. I think the two ongoings have been hurt by launching as brand new (to the DCU) characters in the midst of Blackest night, a massive event that has basically swamped them. The test will be War of the Supermen I think, since the Red Circle books are a more natural fit to that event when it happens, and whether WotS has a similar sales-bumping efefct to BN.

[Paul Nolan]

Wasn't it in a "20 Questions" with Didio that the Shield / JSA thing was mentioned?

anyway, a regular DC character for the Mighty Crusaders, I reckon the Ray would be a good fit.

[leonmallett]

Wasn't it in a "20 Questions" with Didio that the Shield / JSA thing was mentioned?

anyway, a regular DC character for the Mighty Crusaders, I reckon the Ray would be a good fit.

While any help to expose the Mighty Crusaders more widely would be cool, there a lot of DCU characters already tied up. With the Ray, I'd rather see more of Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters than see him join the Mighty Crusaders. That said i'd love to see the Mighty Crusaders team up with USatFF as well as JSa and JLA.

[Paul Nolan]

I suppose the only other precedent of a crossover character is the Black Knight in Ultraforce.

I'm not au fait with the Rays involvement with Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighter, the last i really heard of him was when he was in the forgotton heroes.

I'm gonna have to wait untl I really comment as my Web #5 and Shield #5 will be winging it's way from my mail order company in a weeks time.

[leonmallett]

I suppose the only other precedent of a crossover character is the Black Knight in Ultraforce.

I'm not au fait with the Rays involvement with Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighter, the last i really heard of him was when he was in the forgotton heroes.

I'm gonna have to wait untl I really comment as my Web #5 and Shield #5 will be winging it's way from my mail order company in a weeks time.

Ray was a Freedom fighter in the overly-hastily dispatched (in my view) Freedom Fighters largely killed off in Infinite Crisis 1. I don't know when he joined that incarnation.

He later joined the Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters team in the first mini series, staying for the second.

[FLOOD1976]

The only DCU character I think would work as a member of the Mighty Crusader is Blue Bleatle.

[FLOOD1976]

My line up would be Shield, Web, Jaguar, Mr Justice , Comet and Blue Beetle

[leonmallett]

Based on who we have seen so far, I'd go for:

The Shield - obvious leader in my view
Hangman - limited membership due to his night-time restriction, but due to his long history he is the best placed character to tie others together.
Jaguar - seems a natural fit already
Black Hood - seems ready-made also
The Web - he may see it as an opportunity to rehabilitate himself following a few image problems arising from his short-cut heroics
The Fox - I guess that he will fit okay on the little we know in advance

As for those not in that list:
Inferno - he has some real baggage due to his destructive path and amnesia, so doesn't seem a team player beacuse of that
Comet - until we see what is going on with this guy it seems impossible to call, so by default he is out
Mr Justice - ditto

[minton]

Here is my dream team of 11, pretending that any character would be possible:

MLJ Shield,
Lance Strong,
MLJ/Mighty The Web -
give him that freaked out 'web effect' from his fingers that we saw on that one wrap cover, but make it a hypnotic illusion. In personality make him kind of like the Mentalist in the TV show, but keep him a professor of criminology.

Comet from Mighty Comics, with the bike helmet and slick mustache
MLJ/ Mighty Steel Sterling- bulk him up a bit to be the Strong guy (Thing, Hulk, Colossus type)
MLJ Hangman (no extra powers, with the fin on his head restored to former glory)
Mighty The Fly, maybe update just to remove the blinder goggles from his mask.
Mighty Black Hood, with Nightmare
Gray Morrow's Black Hood on the Hood Cycle (call him Gray Hood)
Little Red Riding Hood (just kidding)
Impact The Jaguar
Fly Girl

[minton]

DC add-ons: how 'bout the Flash or Plastic Man?

[minton]

1) Original Shield

2) Lancelot Strong

3) The Web (original costume, a deductive criminology professor whose brother is a criminal- give him hypnotic suggestive powers- funky finger web effect or like Mandrake the Magician)

4) Black Hood (as Matt Burland in the yellow and black)

5) Gray Hood (as Kip Burland - Gray Morrow version)

6) The Jaguar (Impact version)

7) The Fly

8) Fly Girl

9) Steel Sterling

10) Blue Beetle

11) Plastic Man

12) Doctor Midnite

13) Swamp Thing

14) A new Flash

[minton]

15) The Comet (Mighty version)

OK, fellows, let's divide these fifteen into two teams. How would you like to see two groups of mixed Crusaders and DC characters

[minton]

16) Zatara or Zatanna